Capital Facts

More funding for colleges a step in right direction

Published by admin on Wed, 06/19/2019 - 8:00am

Back when this state was fairly well-run - meaning, before Illinois voters elected three anti-Springfield "populist" governors in a row - the general rule of thumb was that for every two dollars appropriated to K-12 education, higher education received one dollar.
The split wasn't based on any sort of scientific study, as far as I know. It was just the tradition, but the tradition seemed to work pretty well. Even in lean years, everybody got something, and our state's higher education institutions appeared to thrive.

Rookie governor off to a record start

Published by admin on Mon, 06/10/2019 - 3:15pm

If you talk to the Statehouse old-timers, they'll tell you they haven't seen such a productive spring legislative session since Gov. Jim Thompson's days.
I think it's probably safe to say that Gov. JB Pritzker cleared even that high historical bar this year, mainly because he had friendly Democratic super-majorities in both chambers. The Republican Thompson had to deal with a Democratic-controlled legislature for almost all of his 14 years.

No turning back now for Pritzker, Illinois

Published by admin on Mon, 06/03/2019 - 12:25pm

The governor and his top staff showed again last week that they can make things happen under the Statehouse dome.
To corral 73 votes for a graduated income tax constitutional amendment in a 74-member House Democratic caucus accustomed to extreme coddling and over-protecting its more politically vulnerable members was quite something. Nobody was left off the hook.

Threatening letter targets everyone receiving a state pension

Published by admin on Tue, 05/28/2019 - 10:55am

As the spring legislative session nears its end, I want to take a moment to look back on one of the scariest times of the year with the hope that one of you might recognize something and help bring a deranged person to justice.
You may have seen a brief news story about it, but several state legislators reported receiving an identical mailer in late April with the headline: "Dead People Can't Collect Fat Pensions."  The envelopes were postmarked in Champaign, but that's a central collection point so the letters could've been mailed from anywhere in the region.

Union priorities shape end of session

Published by admin on Mon, 05/20/2019 - 1:34pm

If you want to see how times have changed this legislative session, take a quick look at Senate Bill 1591.
The Illinois and Chicagoland chambers have been pushing legislation all session to offer state incentives to data centers. A data center basically stores massive amounts of electronic information. Illinois has been a national leader for data center locations because the Chicago region is a national Internet hub, connecting the country's east and west, and has a reliable and plentiful electricity supply. Only two states, Virginia and Texas, have more data centers.

Grandstanding reps let the rest do heavy lifting

Published by admin on Mon, 05/13/2019 - 11:21am

If you listen closely to what Democratic state Reps. Sam Yingling and Jonathan Carroll are saying in public about their opposition to Gov. JB Pritzker’s graduated income tax proposal, they appear to believe that Pritzker’s proposed tax rates aren’t high enough.
Yingling and Carroll are both demanding significant property tax relief. “In Illinois,” Rep. Yingling wrote in the Tribune last week, “the disproportionate reliance on and financial burden of property taxes to fund government — roads and bridges, education, police, fire and other essential services — is devastating.”

State’s violence interruption program worth the investment

Published by admin on Wed, 05/08/2019 - 8:00am

The Chicago Police Department reported last week that the number of people murdered in the city fell 10 percent during the first four months of 2019 compared to last year during the same period.
While that's good news and part of a two-year downward trend, lost in much of the coverage was a worrisome murder spike in the month of April.
The Chicago Sun-Times counted 62 Chicago homicides in April, up from 37 in April of last year and 48 in April of 2017.

‘Toilet scandal’ could devastate budget, more

Published by admin on Mon, 04/29/2019 - 11:17am

There's probably never a good time for a news story about how a source claims you, your wife and your brother-in-law are under federal investigation. But when that report is aired just days before what is likely the most consequential five weeks of your entire governorship, that's definitely not an opportune moment.
Chicago's public radio station WBEZ reported on April 24 that a single law enforcement source claimed Gov. JB Pritkzer, his wife MK and his brother-in-law Thomas Muenster "are under federal criminal investigation."

Busiest, most consequential final month of session coming

Published by admin on Mon, 04/22/2019 - 11:13am

From the looks of things, the fine print of Gov. JB Pritzker's most important legislative priorities should start becoming public not long after state legislators return from spring break on Tuesday April 30th.
Legislators, the governor's office and stakeholders have been negotiating the nuts and bolts of numerous items for weeks and they're just about finished.
So, we'll apparently start to see specific language pop out in public for things like the legalization of cannabis and sports betting.

Illinois House stalls Senate's sexual harassment bill

Published by admin on Mon, 04/15/2019 - 9:24am

Sen. Melinda Bush (D-Grayslake) spent more than a year holding hearings and overseeing negotiations which eventually produced SB1829, a massive omnibus bill on sexual harassment.